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A love for travel

The tourism sector provides a challenging yet rewarding work environment, says Ms Leow.
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

MS SARAH Edlyn Leow Ying An's O-level results were good enough to get her into junior college, but she had no interest in the science stream subjects she was studying in Temasek Junior College as she wanted to learn more about travel and tourism.

The sudden death of her grandmother, whom she was very close to, made her realise that her life was not headed in the direction she wanted.

So, she quit junior college and signed up for tourism studies at Temasek Polytechnic. A few of her junior college teachers tried to dissuade her, but her family and close friends were supportive.

Now in the second year of her three-year Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management programme, Ms Leow, 20, is enjoying her studies. So far, she has taken modules in business, and courses specific to in-dustries in hospitality and tourism.

She says: “Probably the most interesting and tough module I have taken so far is Service Skills Methodology. For one semester, we were required to take on real-life roles in a restaurant and café. Operations started at 8am and ended only at 4pm. We were on our feet all day!”

Students had to serve customers at Temasek Culinary Academy’s café, SugarLoaf, as well as its restaurant, The Top Table.

“It was the most physi-cally, mentally and emo-tionally demanding task I had to take on, but also the most personally rewarding one,” she says.

Ms Leow’s interest in the hospitality and tourism industry stems from her love for travel, a passion she shares with her father, an airline pilot. “Being immersed in different cultures, meeting new people, and being exposed to different ways of life excites me,” she says.

"It will be a refreshing experience giving visitors to my country a feel of what our local culture and life-style is like, just like how I am often rewarded with the experience of learning about other cultures."

The industry looks to be an exciting and fruitful one. “Tourism is dynamic, and is a sector that can provide a challenging, yet rewarding, working environment. You get to meet, greet, chat and mingle with visitors from all over the world. You represent Singapore and everything that is unique about the country.

Working in the tourism sector gives you the distinct opportunity to create exceptional and memorable experiences for visitors,” she says.

Given her passion for the industry, it is not surprising that she is doing well in her studies. With a grade point average of above 3.5 in her first year, she was invited to apply for and was awarded a Singapore Tourism Board (STB) Industry Scholarship, which covers her tuition fees and provides a yearly allowance of up to $6,000.

Following her graduation in 2010, she will be required to work for a tourism-related company in Singapore for three years.

“Being one of the first STB Industry Scholars in the Diploma in Hospitality & Tourism Management course at Temasek Polytechnic opens doors for me, as it makes me more marketable when applying for a university or job in the future,” she says.

Ms Leow still intends to go to university and geta degree and gain experience in a variety of areas in hospitality and tourism.

“My long-term goal is to be one of the first Asian females to make it to the top of this industry, be it in the hotel or food and beverage line,” she says.